


Bullets

by DannyIsMyBoi



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-01-22
Packaged: 2019-10-14 16:17:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17511848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DannyIsMyBoi/pseuds/DannyIsMyBoi
Summary: Danny's been out ghost fighting once again, he just can't get a break. But what happens when a certain ghost comes along and screws up Danny's life forever? How can this encounter lead to Danny's demise? Find out on... BULLETS! (long one-shot fic) I don't like to give a lot of hints so this is one of the most basic summary's you can get. (Tortured Danno!)





	Bullets

His parents were going to kill him.

He was late. VERY LATE. It was almost midnight and he was supposed to be home by 10. His parents were going to be furious. _Maybe I can sneak in?_ Nope, the last time he tried he got caught red handed.

The ghosts didn't understand when Danny kicked their asses back into the ghost zone that he meant for them not to come back. They just kept coming and coming and coming. He'd had enough. He used up all his powers since he'd been fighting since morning.

He ran under the pitch-black sky, using the lampposts as guides throughout the silence of the night. His feet echoed throughout the city along with the pitter-patter of the rain pouring down. His sweatshirt was soaked through, the hood damp against his jet-black hair. His jeans were scuffed, dirt rounding his knees along with several tears. His shoes were caked with mud, making it indistinguishable to its true color.

He paced throughout the night, tired and unable to tap into his ghostly abilities. He paused for a moment, placing his hands on his knees as he crouched forward to get ahold of his breath. His hot gasps filled up the air near him. He felt as if he was going to collapse and his knees began to buckle beneath him. He peeled his feet off the ground and continued his tiresome run to his house.

He was about to take a step when he felt something grab his ankle. A shiver ran through his body. He was pulled through the sidewalk, suddenly feeling his back contact the ground beneath him as a pang of pain shot up his spine, knocking the breath out of him. His head jerked back in reflex, smashing against the concrete. He cringed, hand instantly rubbing against his head and groaned. He looked up and saw the cause of his pain. _Why?_

The blue skinned ghost wore a silver and red outfit, complete with a cape. On his head sprung 2 horns surrounded by long wispy strands of black hair. He displayed a smug grin, flashing his fangs. His eyes glowed a angry red as he held a pink ectoblast in his gloved hand.

Plasmius levitated before Danny, slowly contacting the floor. "Daniel, what a surprise? What are you doing up so late?" Danny grunted in response, his head hurt too much to think. He tried to get up, but his limbs wouldn't cooperate. Danny looked around. He was in some basement he didn't recognize.

"Awe, is the poor boy unable to get up? I'll help you!" Vlad shouted as he conjured up an ectoblast and aimed it towards Danny. It hit him in the chest and he flew back, his body smashing into the nearest wall. He heard something crack as his knee jerked in agony. He wanted to move, but his strength was failing him.

The ectoblasts fired in quick succession, hitting Danny all over his body. Vlad laughed maniacally at the torture he was inflicting upon the teenager. Circular scorch marks lined up against Danny's arms and legs. Even his clothes contained burn holes throughout. Then he did one of the things Danny hated the most about him.

Plasmius flew up to Danny and picked him up by the neck, slowly squeezing his hand and pressuring Danny's vocal chords. He proceeded to send an electric blast through Danny. Danny wriggled and shouted to be let free, but no voice came out. His body writhed in pain at the electrocution and he gritted his teeth as if it could relieve him of the agony. _CANT. BREATHE._

Vlad dropped the boy after he went limp, a toothy smile crawling across his face. Danny collapsed on the floor, unable to land on his feet. He coughed uncontrollably. Some blood sputtered up originating from his punctured lung. _Can't. Fight. Back._

Plasmius picked him up by his arm and flung him into the opposite wall with much force. Danny's body contacted the shelf, breaking it in two and spilling its contents on top of him. His impact had created a crater in the wall and chunks fell on top of him. Under the rubble Danny could hear Plasmius chuckles as he tried to pick himself up. _No use._ His knee felt tortured under the weight of the chunks of cement. His arms were pinned by broken pieces of the shelf.

Danny summoned what little strength he had left and went ghost. The burning sensation attached to his transformation made him falter for a second, till he got up and shot through the ceiling, going intangible.

He stumbled through his flight, but he kept his head straight forward, not looking back. He flew past building tops, the moon above his head. When he couldn't continue anymore, he rockily landed on the roof of an unknown building. He tumbled to a halt and immediately transformed to human form.

He looked behind him, Plasmius hadn't followed. His eyes threatened to close and he knew he needed to get home, but his limbs refused. He slowly lost his consciousness, collapsing into the cemented roof.

* * *

"You think he's dead?"

"He's trying to fool us. Stay back."

Danny felt a jab at his side and groaned. His muscles ached all over. He cracked an eye open and tried to focus on his surroundings. He didn't recognize the place. He immediately sat up and pain shot through his body. He cringed and turned over onto his back.

"Who are you?" Danny looked up at the question and saw two men looking at him, confusion glinting in their eyes. The both were old and scraggly looking, wearing pajamas covered in stains. They both held alcoholic beverages in their hands, eyes stained red.

Danny tried to reply but all he produced was a croak, his throat still sore from Vlad's doings. The men looked on edge, somewhat leaning dizzily. Danny tried to get up but his muscles moaned in protest. He step by step used his little restored energy to stand up, tilting a little to his right side. His knee hadn't entirely healed after being broken.

"You're a robber aren't you? A hobo. A thief…" one of the men said while the other hiccupped hazily.

"I- I'll leave." Danny whispered through his hoarse throat. The more cautious man reached into his pocket and produced a black object, its shiny edge glinting in the moonlight. He aimed the pistol towards Danny while looking over the teenage boy.

Danny's eyes widened in realization and he began to move, limping away he put his hands up and turned around, walking backwards. "Pl-ease. I'm going home. I-I don't know what h-happened…" he croaked, barely audible.

"Don't lie to me! You wanted to steal, that's why you waited for us to leave! So you could sneak into our rooms and rob us! Well guess what bastard, that's not gonna happen. Amity doesn't have hobos, so you're not an exception." He pointed the pistol and cocked the gun right at Danny. Dany tried to run with his limp, eyeing a chimney he could hide behind and go invisible.

The drunk man pulled the trigger, the blast echoing throughout the town. The other man dropped his alcoholic beverage at the noise and it splattered into millions of glass shards at his feet.

Danny's felt something pierce his back and he staggered forward. He clutched his chest in agony, feeling the blood filling up his lungs once more. Another shot rung and Danny felt it hit his spine. Pain sprung throughout his body and his legs buckled as he tumbled onto the rough roof. He reached the edge of the building and felt his foot slip. He tried to grab onto the edge, but the blood staining his hands made it slippery. He lost contacts and felt as if he was _falling and falling and falling…._

The men on the roof entered back into the apartment, laughing at the situation they felt they had prevented.

* * *

Jazz was worried.

Her parents were worried.

Danny hadn't come home yesterday. He was no where to be found.

She called Sam and Tucker yesterday morning, but they said they hadn't seen Danny since Tuesday evening. He truly was missing.

Jazz knew Danny had been out late past curfew fighting ghosts Tuesday night. He cared for Amity Park. But sometimes he took stupid risks and hurt himself because he cared TOO much. She just called the school and principal Ishiyama said Danny had been absent the entire day.

Sam and Tucker were out searching. Tucker's PDA was able to track down Danny by his ectosignature, but he couldn't get a signal. Her parents were in the ghost assault vehicle, parading through town and calling out Danny's name. Jazz knew there was one last person to call, she just didn't want it to ever come this far.

Her phone sat in front of her. Jazz stared at it, wondering where Danny could possibly be. It's been 2 days… _Maybe he's just out of town. Maybe he needed a break. He's not hurt, he always comes back._ She picked up her phone and slowly rang the number.

"Hello, Jasmine?" the gruff voice answered sweetly. She could imagine him on the other end with his smug expression.

"Vlad." Jazz said quickly. "H-have you seen Danny?" she whispered into the phone.

"Daniel?" Vlad sounded surprised. "Why? What's wrong?"

"No one's seen him since Tuesday… we've been searching town, but we haven't found him." Jazz broke down, tears flowing down her face. She couldn't hold it in anymore, she hadn't seen her baby brother in two days. Vlad hesitated before answering.

"I'll do what I can Jasmine. Inform your parents asap." Then he hung up. That was it. He didn't express any feelings towards Danny's disappearance.

Jazz knew Vlad saw Danny as his own son and cared for him deeply. He would never hurt him to brink of death. But something deep down within her was telling her that something was definitely wrong. She reassured herself that Danny will come back, but a voice within her thought the opposite. _He's not coming back._

Her tears soaked Danny's pillow as she faceplanted onto his bed, her phone slipping out of her grasp.

* * *

Vlad stared at his black computer screen. He couldn't believe what he just heard.

He had seen Daniel on Tuesday night. _Yes_ he played with him, but he didn't _kill_ him. Vlad wasn't the type to kill, only hurt and torment till the edge of life and death.

Vlad scrapped his papers aside and logged onto his computer. His mind raced with possible locations Daniel could be. Jasmine would only call him if he was her last hope, meaning Tucker and Samantha didn't know where he was either.

Vlad pulled up his mayoral security system placed throughout town and scoured through any alerts he had received. Many were about motion throughout the night, but he found a couple alerting of a loud bang. Vlad scoured through those videos, keeping his eyes wide for any pertinent video feed.

After hours of watching 2-hour security videos, he found the one he needed. The video was in black and white and grainy due to the single lamppost illuminating the area. The video footage displayed a alleyway next to an apartment. He noticed three figures on the roof, but they were in the distance. One figure began to run away from the other two. A gunshot rang out and Vlad winced. Another loud snap was heard and one figure slipped off the roof. The footage switched over the front view of the alleyway, blocking him from viewing the scene. _Shit. What the fuck._ After a minute or so, the camera switched back to the apartment side and in the distance a figure lay on the floor behind the building. The figures on the roof were gone.

Vlad's heart clenched in his chest as he packed his suitcase. He was going to investigate the alley. Hopefully, it wasn't Daniel. It may be just any citizen. _How had he not known of a shooting?_

Vlad's silver lexus pulled up to the brick apartment. Vlad could see the dark alleyway through his mirror. He left his office abruptly, concerning his fellow mayoral members. He coined the situation 'family business' and headed out.

Vlad got out of his expensive car and headed over to the alleyway. A putrid smell hit his nose immediately and he plugged it with his fingers. Passing the trash bins, he neared the back of the alley. He took a sharp turn towards his left and immediately clutched his stomach in tempt to throw up. The sight before him almost made him lose his lunch. He immediately ran towards the danger, fumbling to grab his phone out of his pocket. He rang 911 and kneeled down into the pool of blood, ruining his newly pressed black suit.

* * *

The white light blinded him as he slowly began to open his eyes. He could hear noise at his sides, but it was all nonsense to him. His muscles ached as attempted to shift. He felt uncomfortable in the position he was in. His body _burned_. He tried to remember how he got himself in this situation, but he couldn't recall anything. His eyes adjusted to the scene before him, he didn't know where he was.

The room was white with tiled floors. The wall before him contained a floral painting while another wall had a window and a desk. Sitting at the desk was a red haired girl moving her mouth. He attempted to focus on her words, but he couldn't. One the other side sat a huge man in orange next to a woman in blue. He was sitting in a bed covered by a dark blue comforter with stars while his left leg was tied up in a bulk of a cast and suspended from the ceiling. Tubes crisscrossed his body, connecting to his wrists, face, and other places.

His ears finally focused on noise and he could make out some of the words

"Danny… can you hear us?"

"Danny-boy please respond."

"My poor baby boy…"

His memories hit him like a train, it hurt. A headache sprung within his brain and he groaned. _Jazz… Mom… Dad…._ He tried to reply to his family, but his vocal chords rattled inside his throat, producing no sound.

"Are you alright little bro?" He felt someone stroke a hand through his hair. He flinched in surprise and his muscles whimpered with pain. "Shhhh. Don't move." He felt the warm breath of his sister against his ear, gentle and soothing. He shut his eyes and took in a deep breath. He finally realized where he was.

* * *

The hospital wasn't all too bad.

He was stuck in bed all day, which sucked. Each movement of his body erupted in a tornado of suffering. His voice hadn't returned either, and the silence was _killing_ him. His parents visited again while Jazz had flown back to Stanford.

It was 2 am at night and Danny was cold, the chatter of his teeth ringing throughout the desolate room. He had only woken up this morning, but he had not fallen asleep since. He could feel the sleep slowly crawling throughout his body, but he brushed off its attempts to overcome him. Everyone had been surprised at his waking this morning. His parents even shed light tears as they comforted him.

No one told Danny why he was in the hospital, but he had a pretty good idea. He remembered the events of, _yesterday was it?_ The man raised his gun shakily and fired, propelling Danny forward as the bullet contacted his back and sent him slipping off…

He stared at the white ceiling in the dark, twiddling his thumbs. He thought about the memories with his friends, _where were they?_ He couldn't focus on one thought, drowning in the multitude of things he could think of. Slowly his eyes started to droop as he began naming constellations he could remember. He eventually lost consciousness and slipped into his nightmares.

* * *

She couldn't sleep.

Danny was in the hospital and she couldn't sleep. She stared up at her black canopy suspended over her bed. The fake bats and spiders she had placed on the ceiling glowed. She so badly wanted to sneak out, but her parents would bust her instantly. Especially with the new security system they installed throughout the mansion.

Sam tried to go to the hospital after school, but they blocked her from entering. Only 'family members' could she the patient. She was a part of Danny's family more than his parents! She couldn't wait to see him, to ask him _what the fuck_ he was doing that Tuesday night.

Jazz had told her little and she hadn't gathered anything from questioning Vlad. Danny's story was published on Amity news and this was her main source of information. Apparently, Danny had been shot. _Shot._ She couldn't believe it. When did humans ever threaten Danny? What did he do to get shot? Did the ghosts learn of new weapons? Jazz had said Danny was in a terrible condition when he woke up from his coma. She hadn't seen him in 2 weeks and now he was _awake_. She couldn't help but wonder if he was thinking about her.

She had been worried over the past 2 weeks, trying to focus on her life but her mind constantly flipped to her friend's condition. She collected all of Danny's homework he had missed. Student's in school couldn't care less if Danny Fenton was hurt, but they all wondered where Phantom had disappeared to. The Red Huntress, _gosh I hate her_ , had taken over Danny's job protecting Amity, although she didn't have the level of skill Danny did.

Sam knew she needed to get to sleep. It was 3 am in the morning and she only had 3 hours until she needed to get ready for another Danny-less school day. She forced her eyes to close and she slowly began to slow in breathing, the darkness consuming her body.

"Sammykins! Wake up!" Sam clamped her hands over her ears and shuffled under the comforter. She could tell her mother opened the curtain when the bright rays burned her under her mass of black. She hissed and tumbled out of bed, heading for the bathroom and mumbling a 'morning' to her mother.

She enjoyed the soothing warmth against her skin as she cranked the heat on the shower water. Shampooing her hair, she wondered what Danny might be doing. It was terrible not knowing anything, she felt so miserable and so vulnerable. Samantha Manson _never_ felt _vulnerable_. She stepped out onto the bath mat, rubbing her feet as her hair dripped and soaked the floor.

She quickly changed into a purple shirt paired with black jeans and her infamous combat boots. She ate her breakfast and met with Tucker at their school. The rest of the school day went ok, but she felt a pang of sadness every moment she remembered Danny. Tucker tried to ignore their friend, so it wouldn't hurt, until they went to the hospital after school. Tucker didn't display any emotion towards Danny's situation and Sam just believed he was trying to hold on to some hope.

They met the nurse at the front desk and asked to see Danny. They had been asking daily for entrance into their best friend's room, but they were denied each time. The nurse surprised them by telling them the directions to his room and the two sprinted towards their missing piece.

They skidded to a stop as they neared Danny's room and entered sharply. Sam almost let out a yelp after seeing her friend. Tubes were everywhere. An oxygen mask was hooked up to his mouth and an IV placed in his wrist. Other tubes connected to Danny had purposes she was unaware of. His leg was wrapped up in a thick bundle of cast material. His face and arms contained bruises and burns and an especially deep scar ran along his cheek. His eyes were half open, emptiness filling his face.

Sam walked forward hesitantly, she could barely recognize him. "D-Danny?" she whispered as he tilted his head towards his friends. Slowly, his eyes widened in realization and he let out a moan. She ran her hand along his arm, muscles distinguished under his hospital gown.

"Dude, how are you?" Tucker questioned as he walked up to Sam. He was eyeing his best friend with empathy.

Danny slowly lifted his hand up to remove his mask and placed it on his lap. He coughed twice, and Sam could hear the congestion within him. He sniffed and opened his mouth to speak. His voice was soft and almost inaudible.

"I-I'm fine." Danny whispered, Tucker chuckled at his standard statement and Danny attempted to smile, but suddenly grimaced in pain. Danny pointed to his throat and made a neck chopping movement. _So, he can't speak…_

"Are you going to tell us what happened? We've been worried sick for the past 2 weeks." Danny's eyes widened in realization as his eyes went foggy. Sam ran her hand through his shaggy raven hair.

"T-two weeks?" Danny croaked. Sam nodded in reply and he went deep in thought.

"Danny, you were in a coma. Didn't they tell you anything?" Danny shook his head slightly and stared at the floral painting on the wall. "We were worried, you know. They wouldn't let us see you. H-how much pain are you in? Scale of 1 to 10…" Sam stuttered as she questioned him.

"eight." Danny said blankly. They constantly did scales of pain after fights and Danny never mentioned a number above five, he had a high pain tolerance.

"Danny, explain to us. Please…" Sam pleaded as she felt guilt for her secret crush. She could have been there helping him through whatever happened. She should have been there.

"hurts…" was all Danny said. No more, no less. He closed his eyes for a moment, grimacing at something. When he reopened them, they were neon green, but they fizzled back into his natural ice blue orbs.

The Fenton parents came into the room along with a doctor after several minutes of silence. The doctor took out his stethoscope and listened for a heartbeat. "22 bpm," he mumbled and scribbled something onto his board. Sam and Tucker had backed away near the desk, so the doctor could check on Danny.

"Well it's not good news. I examined him last night and I think he's ready to know as well. Do you want these two to hear it?" the doctor glanced over at Sam and Tucker and Mrs. Fenton shook her head.

"Kids, I want you to leave the room for a moment. We're going to discuss Daniel's condition." The doctor requested, and Sam wanted to yell and shout in protest, but Tucker had already grabbed her arm and was dragging her out of the room. Danny's eyes followed his friends as they exited his room.

"Hey! I wanted to know!" Sam shouted at Tucker as he closed the door slowly. He winced and replied.

"Danny's parents will tell us in time anyways. Plus, we can easily eavesdrop, so shhhh!" Tucker placed his ear on the door and Sam did the same. The noise was a little muffled, but they could hear everything.

"Daniel how are you feeling?" came the doctors soothing voice.

"G-good…" Danny whispered and slurred.

"Are you ready to know the extent of your injuries? If you're up to it, can you explain what happened?" Danny didn't reply to the doctor, but they sensed a gesture had been made. The doctor sighed and began explaining.

"Your son, as you know, was shot in the back twice… one bullet hit a very critical spot in his spine. We are not sure if this may have affected him or not, we still need to test it. There are multiple burn marks and scars throughout his body and we've treated all the ones we could. His left knee was severely broken, as if it was crushed to damage. His heart beat is slow, and his temperature is low." The doctor paused for a moment before continuing "This is all we have at the moment. We will begin further examination once his health has increased." Sam could hear Mrs. Fenton sobbing and Sam felt she should do the same.

She glanced over at Tucker who looked on he verge of tears. She patted his arm in comfort and placed her ear back on the door.

"My poor boy, my poor baby boy. Please tell us what happened…" Mrs. Fenton begged as she sobbed. There was silence except for the mothers crying as they waited for Danny to answer.

"Dunno…" Danny replied in a hoarse whisper. _He's lying._

"Are you sure Daniel?" silence erupted after the doctor's question. "All right then, I'll leave you three alone. Shall I let his friends back in?"

"Yes please." That was Sam and Tucker's cue to move. They walked to the opposite side of the hall and pretended to have a conversation about school. The doctor opened the door and let them in while he left down the hall.

Danny was sitting in the bed looking at his foot. Sam went up to Mrs. Fenton and hugged her for comfort. She whispered into Sam's ear: "I'll tell you about it later." Sam nodded and went over to Danny. He looked bad, like he hadn't slept in days. The dark circles under his eyes drooped. He looked at Sam intently, his blue orbs searching over her. She wanted to hug him so badly, sit on his lap, and punch his arm playfully. She wanted things to go back to normal, but a voice within contradicted her: _H_ e _'ll never be normal._

* * *

He was going home today.

Not like it made much of a difference. He couldn't do anything.

The realization had hit him the day after, when they were examining him. He knew something was wrong from the start, but he didn't recognize it. This would alter his life forever. He didn't tell Sam or Tucker, or even Jazz. Maybe Jazz knew if his parents had told her, but he doubted it. He didn't want them to know, but they'd figure it out real quick.

His parents knew, and they were sorry for him. _Well sorry can't change this_ he thought. He was sitting in the car. It'd been a tiresome week at the hospital and he was ready to go home, but not go to school. He knew his parents would make him go in a few days, and he didn't need the questions.

Everyone believed that a gang had ridden up on Danny and shot him, but he knew the truth. He blamed Vlad for some of it, but it really was all his own fault. If he hadn't stayed upon that rooftop he wouldn't have bothered the drunk men. Did he really look like a robber at the time? He didn't know.

He looked out the window at the passing cars and people. It was Sunday evening, so the sun was setting in the west, the sky switching from orange into blue and purple. He saw classmates walking down the streets in bunches of friends, no doubt on their way home.

He noticed his reflection in the window, a huge scar running down his right cheek. Danny had not seen himself since the incident and he looked miserable. The touched the scar across his cheek, it was starting to disappear.

The ghost assault vehicle reached the huge building with a neon and orange sign. The op center sat atop the building, almost as if it was a UFO.

Danny pulled his hood upon his head, shadowing his face underneath his jagged bangs. His parents helped him get out of the car. Danny noticed a ramp replaced a set of stairs at the foot of the door. _Figures._

As he entered the house he looked around. Much of it looked the same, except for the stairs. Suddenly he was picked up and taken upstairs by his mother. She placed him on his bed and told him to get some rest. He nodded as she left the room to cook dinner.

Danny's eyes searched his room. It had been almost a month since he saw his astronomy posters and glow-in the-dark stars on the ceiling. He slowly lowered himself onto his bed and dozed off, tired from the car journey.

* * *

"Danny, there is no excuse to be sleeping for this long!"

"MOOOOOM" Danny whined and shifted in his bed. It felt like he hadn't gotten any sleep, but in reality he had slept for over 15 hours.

"Its lunch time Danny! I'm bringing your food up, ok?" his mother shouted from downstairs. Danny's stomach growled in reply. So he was hungry, but he was still tired. He used his arms to prop himself up, placing multiple pillows behind his back for support.

His mother walked in with a tray of soup and crackers. Although he wasn't particularly excited for his food, it was better then the hospital food he'd gotten used to. He slurped majority of it up in minutes as his mother waited sitting on his bed. His phone began to ring as he ate, and his mother picked it up.

"Oh my gosh, we didn't tell Jazz about you." She grabbed the phone and answered.

"Jazz! It's been so long. I'm sorry we didn't call you, but I have to tell you something." She looked over to her son who looked upon her with guilt. He set his food down and rasped:

"Can I tell her? I-I want some privacy." His mother's face scrunched as he asked so quietly. She obliged and gave him his phone and exited the room.

"Danny, what's wrong?" worry seeped through Jazz's words. Danny didn't want to tell her, but he didn't want his mother to tell her.

"You know what happened right? Th-the gang? A-and the shot-s?" Danny stuttered through his words. Tears pricked at his eyes and blurred his vision ever so slightly.

"Danny, what's wrong? Please tell me." Danny couldn't take it anymore and the tears ran down his cheeks, he let out a sigh and continued. His heart raced at the thought of what he was about to say. His thoughts jumbling all into one big mess.

"They shot me in my back. It hit a critical part of my spine and-and… Jazz, I'm _paralyzed_ … from the _waist down_." All he could hear was silence on the other end as he broke down into sobs. He knew he shouldn't be crying, but what else could he do? He couldn't walk anymore, an action he used to take for granted.

"D-Danny… I- I'm so sorry." Jazz sounded devastated and he could hear her begin to cry. Danny sniffed and took a deep breath.

"It- it isn't your fault."

"Danny can you tell me what really happened? I need to know"

"I- uh." He paused and looked out the door to check if his mother was listening. She had gone back downstairs.

"I-I was tired and I fell asleep on a roof," he wasn't going to talk about the part where he lost his powers and the Vlad debacle "and these two drunk men mistook me for a robber and shot me. I was at the edge of a building and it pushed me off. It's all still a bit fuzzy, but that's the jist of it."

"WHAT WERE YOU DOING ON A ROOF?" she screamed through the phone as Danny flinched, pain shot through his back and he groaned.

"I was fighting ghosts and I got really tired…" he really didn't want to put Vlad at the blame for this. She would only get mad.

"Danny that doesn't make sense. Y-you could've easily dodged those men, why didn't you?

"I w-was half asleep. I could barely even see…"

"Danny, ugh. I can't believe you. You should've called me! You should've –"

"We can't dwell on the past Jazz…" he paused and looked up, eyeing his wheelchair folded up in the corner. "I'm fine."

"Danny, you-re, you're not fine!" She broke down into tears again and Danny felt bad for not telling her sooner, it was all hitting her quickly. "My baby brother is an IDIOT!"

Danny rubbed his hands over his face in frustration, wiping the tears away. He didn't want to reply, the ball of agony in his throat preventing him from speaking. Jazz finally spoke after a minute of silence.

"H-how do you… feel?" she whispered softly.

"Well I can't feel my legs that's for sure." He sarcastically retorted.

"DANNY! Does Sam and Tucker know?"

"Um, no… I – I will tell them. Promise."

"Danny, I don't know what to tell you. I don't know how to help you. For once in my life I feel as if there's nothing I can do, but I can't just sit on the sidelines."

"Don't worry Jazz. Just, just promise me not to worry over me. I don't need it." He whimpered while slurping a spoon of soup. Jazz fell silent once again, the sound of her sniffs filling in the space between the siblings.

'I… gotta go. Talk to you later." Jazz said weakly.

"yea…" Danny croaked and hung up. He finished the rest of his soup, downing it all in one big gulp. He placed the bowl on his bedside as his muscles ached with the stretch. His mother came in a couple of minutes later.

"What- what did Jazz say?" his mother looked at him curiously, concern glinting in her eyes. She found him staring at his blanket, the silhouette of legs underneath.

"She's… not happy… can I sleep now?" he didn't lift his head to face his mother.

"Wait, I need to ask. Do- do you remember what happened?"

"No…"

"Ok honey. Try and remember all right?" She said as she lifted the tray with the bowl and went back downstairs, shutting the door behind her. Danny leaned back onto his wall of pillows and closed his eyes. He was honestly bored out of his mind. He wanted to get up and go for a flight through the afternoon sky and feel the slight breeze against his face.

He tried to fall asleep, but the nightmares kept reminding him not to. He reached for the TV remote on his night stand and he pressed a black button. The TV fizzled to life and displayed a kid cartoon show. He flipped through the channels effortlessly, barely listening to the sounds of life. He paused on a particular channel.

"-ysterious disappearance of the ghost boy! Amity Park has not seen their iconic hero in 3 weeks. Where is he? Conspiracy theorists suggest that he may be in the ghost zone reenergizing. Others believe he has given up on Amity. Although Phantom hasn't been seen for the past month, the Red Huntress has successfully replaced him, fighting ghosts to keep our town safe. If you have any infor-"

He shut the TV off and placed the remote on his nightstand. He had entirely forgotten about his ghost half. _Can I even transform?_ He decided to not risk it, yet. He didn't need more agony on top of his condition. He sunk into his bed and let the sleep overcome his mind.

* * *

The thumping noise increased, and he shot awake. His vision blurred with the sudden pain and he groaned. A figure stood in the corner, covered with dark shadows. Danny's eyes adjusted on the shadow in his room, but it was still too dark to see.

"Daniel…" he could recognize that voice from anymore. The cold, stiff sound from the shady figure as he said his name burned his ears.

"Get out…" he whispered towards Vlad. He didn't want to see _him,_ so he turned his head to the other side. A strike of pain blasted through his upper body and he grimaced in agony.

"Daniel I-… how are you?" He said in a soothing tone, uncharacteristically to his regular taunts. Danny growled in reply. He wasn't in a mood to talk with the _Fruitloop_.

"What really happened Daniel? I'm tired of waiting, please tell me." Danny eyed the clock. _1:37 am_. If he shouted at Vlad, he would wake his parents up. He didn't need that. But he couldn't take it anymore. This was the man who partly caused _this._

"Are you happy?!" Danny furiously whispered and crossed his arms as he stared at the clock. _1:38 am_.

"Daniel what do you mean? What happened after you flew away? Why didn't you fight me back!? Please Daniel, I need to know…" his voice amplified in volume as he walked out of the shadows and towards Danny. He saw a tiresome middle-aged man instead of the confident mayor. His face held a pleading frown with dark bags under his eyes. His tangled graying hair matched his unprofessional outfit. He glared at Danny, worry overflowing in his eyes. Danny couldn't keep it in anymore.

"Th-this – ugh! Look what you've done!" Danny shouted as he whipped around to face the terrified man. "Do you know what happened! Of course not, you only care for _power_! Do you see that in the corner?! That's a wheelchair. Do you know what kind of people use wheelchairs?! THOSE WHO'VE BEEN HURT!"

"Th-that was for your knee r-right?" Vlad stuttered. He looked like an utterly new person. He was never this vulnerable. His eyes were wide with despondency. "You have accelerated healing. You should be fine now."

"No. Wait – I DON'T KNOW! Ok, please. Just stop… please leave." Danny could feel the tears pricking his eyes. He didn't want Vlad to know. He did want Vlad to feel the guilt, but he didn't need to feel _all_ the guilt that came with his condition.

"Daniel, just tell me what happened. I promise I'll leave then."

"I-I – I ughhh. Vlad don't do this to me." He could feel the tears streak down his cheeks as he ran his hands angrily through his hair. "Don't- don't feel bad once I tell you. I don't need your guilt." He looked up at the man and Vlad nodded. Danny rubbed his tears off his face while they continued to fall.

"The wheelchairs for me. A bullet hit me in my spine. A-a critical spot." Danny's heart began to beat faster, his mind racing through the memories. He could feel his body heating up at the fear. He dropped his head so he didn't have to see Vlad's expression at his next sentence. Um… I can't walk. I-I mean I'm paralyzed from the waist d-down." His tears freely fell, his sobs filling up the silence.

Vlad kept quiet. Through his bangs Danny could see multiple expressions passing Vlad's face. A single tear fell down the older halfa's face, dropping onto Danny's astronomical comforter. His rough palms found his hair and ruffled through it. He dropped them to his face, rubbing it in an attempt of managing his frustration. He hands fell to his sides and he stared at the wheelchair in the corner.

"I-I'm sorry…" his voice came out raspy. "This- this is all MY fault. I – how did I – what happened Daniel?" He was crying now. The grown man was crying and it shocked Danny to his unattainable core. Danny didn't want to explain it to Vlad. To relive the memories. To once again feel the pain of this. He kept silent as he could feel an oncoming headache. He sunk down in his bed.

"I- I did this to you. I, what kind of a monster am I? I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" he apologetically whispered as he softly ran his hands along the comforters outline of Danny's legs. He immediately stood up and flew through the wall.

"Vlad wait!" But it was too late, the older man was gone. That night, Danny couldn't sleep.

* * *

"How was your sleep honey?" His mother said sweetly as she ruffled his hair. He groaned and brought a spoon of cereal up to his mouth, _fruit loops._

"Do I have to go today?" he whined. He protested and begged his parents, but they said he was in perfect condition to go to school. _Except for his lower half._

"Sweetie, you've already missed a month of school and your teachers have been kind enough to ignore the assignments and exams you missed. Now hurry up so I can take you.

When he woke up he had texted his best friends that he was going to school today. They were shocked and excited, finally to have their friend back. They visited over the past week, but Danny never told him of his paralysis. He knew they would be mad, but he didn't need their pity.

He quickly munched down on his cereal and pushed himself on his wheelchair to the car. His mother helped to get him into the passenger seat and he pulled his hoodie over his head, shadowing his face. He kept his head turned towards the window the entire time. His mother drove through the morning fog in silence.

When they pulled up to the school she parked and set up Danny's wheelchair. He moved himself using his upper body strength onto hid contraption and said goodbye to his mother.

"Goodbye honey! Be careful!" she said as she drove away. Danny looked at his school and sighed, unprepared for the day ahead of him. He pushed the wheels on his wheelchair as he headed for the school front doors, backpack slinged across his shoulder. Students stared at him as he passed, burning holes into his freakishly thin figure. He could hear the whispers all around him, but he disregarded them.

He went straight to the principal's office. He knocked on the door and heard a 'come in' and entered. Principal Ishiyama's eyes went wide at the sight of her student. "Daniel, what happened?" she said as she stood up.

"I bet you saw the news as to what happened, but uh – I'm p-paralyzed from the waist down forever." He said softly as he wheeled himself up to the principal's desk.

"I- I'm so sorry. I didn't know it was that bad." She said in a sympathetic tone and sat down. "If you need anything, please let me know. I would be glad to help" she shot a smile at Danny and he attempted to smile in return.

"Thanks, I just wanted to let you know about… _this_."

"Well thank you for letting me know. Shall I tell the teachers about it?"

"Sure, that would save me a lot of trouble."

"Consider it done. Enjoy the rest of your school day!" she said sweetly and opened the door for Danny. He mumbled a thank you in reply and wheeled down to his locker where his friends were waiting. He pulled his hood over his head once again, hiding his face. As he neared his locker, his friends did a double take when they noticed him, their jaws hanging open in shock. They began running up to Danny.

"Danny?!" Sam shouted "What – whats this?!" she said eyeing his wheelchair. He grimaced and looked away.

"I- I didn't want to tell you guys…" he whispered staring at the floor.

"Dude, is your knee that bad?" Tucker asked as Danny winced. His left knee wasn't wrapped up anymore, it wasn't like he needed it to be healed anyways.

"I – uh…" he hesitated. He didn't want to tell them. They were going to scream at him. "I need to tell u guys something…"

"No duh. We can already tell. Your knees so bad that you need a wheelchair. Why not crutches?" Sam retorted with a questioning look. Danny winced and shifted his eyes to his scuffed red converse, complete with red and green stains.

"Can – can we go somewhere else? Everyone's staring…" his friends glanced up and indeed students were staring. Many looked away at the sentence. "Nevermind… I-" he reluctantly continued as he looked his friends in their eyes "I'm… paralyzed from the waist down."

Sam's books fell from her arms. Tucker's heart picked up its pace. Both were lost in their own minds, racing through thoughts. Sam suddenly slapped Danny across the cheek and stomped off after picking her books up to who knows where. Danny touched his cheek in shock. He could feel the red mark beginning to form.

Tucker looked at Danny and took of his beret. "Tell me you're lying… please." He said as his eyebrows pinched together in guilt. Whispers picked up around him and Danny looked around. All eyes were on him suddenly and time stood still.

Dash was staring at him, confusion and pity flickering across his face. Paulina was trying to make it as if she was looking at herself in her compact mirror, but clearly, she was glaring at him. Star and Kwan were whispering in each other's ear furiously while occasionally glancing at Danny.

Tucker shook his head. "don't play with us man…" and walked off.

"Tuck wait!" Danny called after his best friend outstretching his arm, but Tucker had already gone off in Sam's path. Danny wanted to run after him, but he couldn't. He rubbed his neck in embarrassment and looked around again at the blank stares facing back at him.

The bell rang, and the environment became busy once more. Student's paths crisscrossed as they walked off to their respective classrooms. Danny sat in the middle of it all, drowning within the sea of students. He finally wheeled himself to Lancer's history class once the crowd died down.

His classmates stared at him, the hooded disabled teen entering the room. Mr. Lancer looked at him in disbelief then shock. Danny wheeled himself to the back of the classroom, away from everyone else. He stared at his table as his friends entered the room. They both took seats in front of him, the closest seats available.

"Mr. Fenton is that you?" Mr. Lancer asked with a concerned tone. Danny nodded in reply without moving his eyes from the grooves carved into the table from past students. "It's great to have you back. How are you?" Danny didn't reply, too afraid to talk and be judged. Mr. Lancer waited for a minute in silence as students whispered. He continued with his lesson, determined to ask Mr. Fenton after class.

Class proceeded as typical with students focusing little attention on their teacher lecturing about the civil war. Danny stayed silent the entire time, staring out the window in boredom. During homework time, Sam and Tucker questioned Danny about his condition and how it came about. He provided little information as possible, he didn't want them to know what happened. _Sam would only slap me again for my stupidity._

When the ball rang, students happily exited the classroom as Lancer reminded them of their homework. He quickly stopped Danny before he could exit with the others.

"Mr. Fenton? How are you feeling? I heard about the situation on the news, but what happened?"

"I'm paralyzed from the waist down. Legs are useless to me." Danny replied in monotone. Lancer froze in shock. He knew his student was hurt, but this was beyond what he perceived.

"I'-I'm sorry. I hope you get better." Lancer said softly, perturbed by his student's deadpan tone. Danny mumbled something incoherent and left the room. He really was an enigma.

After history Danny had gym along with his best friends. He wheeled himself to the gymnasium alone since his friends had already gone to the locker rooms.

Ms. Tetslaff stood by the double doors to the gymnasium, scanning her clipboard. When Danny approached she immediately pointed to the locker room, until she did a double take and saw the wheelchair.

"Mr. Fenton, what is this?" she shouted as she brought her clipboard down. Danny was tired of explaining himself to everyone so he kept it short and simple.

"My legs are paralyzed. Can't walk. What do I do during gym?" His concise statements left Ms. Tetslaff speechless.

"Uh.. hang out in the locker room for today. We can switch your classes next week." She said as she pointed to the locker room. Danny sighed and wheeled himself in the opposite direction from where he come.

He entered the locker room where most of the guys where leaving for gym. He received some strange looks from the other boys, but he brushed them off. He found Tucker at the back of the room, where their lockers where placed. They hid in the back, so they could hide their muscles from ghost fighting for 4 years. _Not like this spot is any use now…_

Tucker shut his locker and was about to leave along with his classmates. Danny wheeled around the corner and he smiled at his best friend. Tucker shot a grin back as he passed by.

Danny didn't know what to do for the next hour. _Might as well clean out my locker, there's no point in keeping stuff in there._ He set down his backpack and looked up at his locker. His was in the middle row, low for the average human but still a stretch for him. Danny extended his arm and leaned forward to grab his lock, but he couldn't reach.

He grumbled a swear and got an idea. _What if I levitate a bit and grab my stuff?_ He searched for his ghost core within him, finding a fragmented cold feeling. She shivered suddenly and pulled on it, triggering his transformation. The bright, flashing rings formed at his feet and rose up to his head, replacing his appearance with his alter ego.

He lifted himself off his wheelchair, levitating just enough to grab his stuff from his locker. He outstretched his arm and – _burn burn burn bUrN bUrN BURN_

Something was burning. He cried out in agony as his body lit up in green flames. He tumbled to the floor, spasming in pain. He tried to revert to human form, but it didn't work. He groaned in torment, the burning sensation only increasing. His arms flailed to grab ahold of something, but they tumbled into the wheelchair, only pushing it farther away from his grasp. He groaned and with another effort, and transformed back into his human self.

He exhaled largely, closing his eyes for moment. _Note to self: don't transform._ He tried to sit up but his strength was drained. Lying on the floor it all rapidly hit him. He couldn't move. His legs were useless. His wheelchair was too far away. _Wheelchair_. His stupidity made him _disabled_. When was he going to learn?

The tears started to stream down his face as he lay motionless on the grimy floor. Staring up at the ceiling, his cries turned to sobs.

* * *

_Not again._

He'd forgotten his water bottle in the locker room.

Dash asked Ms. Tetslaff if he could go grab it. She muttered some incoherent reply and he took it as a yes. Walking to the locker room he wondered why Kwan hadn't reminded him. _Jerk_ he thought. _Sometimes Kwan just gets on my nerves._

He jogged over to his locker within the locker room. As he twisted his locker handle, he saw a flash of light. _Is someone in here?_ Dash decided to check it out and he tiptoed over to the flash. He peered around the corner of the locker wall to find Phantom, _Phantom_ , levitating near a wheelchair trying to open a locker. _Wheelchair?_ The only person who had a wheelchair was Fentonia.

Suddenly, Phantom's eyes widened as a green flame extended around his body. He cried out a torture filled shout and fell to the floor. He writhed on the floor, his legs unmoving. The wheelchair skittered over to the side as his arm banged against a wheel. He gritted his teeth and moaned. Dash hesitated to help. He shouldn't be here anyways.

A bright flash erupted from Phantoms head, a whiteish-bluish ring forming. The ring fell down his body towards his feet as his features changed. Snowy white hair replaced with jet black; black, white, and green hazmat suit replaced by t-shirt and jeans; and silvery boots replaced by dirty red converse. He knew this kid. Dash turned back, leaning against the locker wall on the opposite side of Danny. Daniel Fenton was Phantom. Phantom was Fenton.

_No way…_

Dash's heart raced as his mind took him through memories of bullying Fenton for the past 4 years.

 _It can't be_ …

He turned back to look around the locker corner and sure enough, Fenton sat on the floor, his icy blue eyes staring at the ceiling.

_This doesn't make sense…_

Danny began to cry as Dash watched. His tears turned to sobs as he lay on the floor, almost lifeless. Dash couldn't take it anymore and he tiptoed over to the halfa.

"Fenton?" Dash whispered. Danny's cobalt blue orbs darted in Dash's direction as his sobs stopped.

"D-Dash?" he said with a sniff. Dash crouched down and cocked his head in a weird angle to look his bully victim in the eye.

"W-what was that?" Dash stuttered with confusion. Danny's eyes widened, and Dash could see a hint of green in his diamond eyes. Dash propped the boy up and then stood up to get his wheelchair. His eyes never left his possible hero.

"Why are you helping me?" Danny slurred as he spoke. He didn't look to good either. His skin had paled slightly and the bags under his eyes were not normal. Dash was used to seeing the happy go-lucky and clumsy boy that was Fenton. Not this depressed and fragile teen.

"Jeez Fenton. Can't a guy help a paralyzed person?" Dash said with a hint of sarcasm. He truly felt sorry for the boy. Although no one knew what happened to him, other than him being shot. Dash had a feeling as to what was behind it all.

Dash pushed the wheelchair towards the sullen teen on the floor. Danny's head was in his hands, cupping them in protection. Dash sat down on the floor opposite from the boy.

"Did- did it hurt?" he whispered slightly looking at the hooded teen beside him.

"What hurt?" responded Danny muffled.

"When you-you got shot…" Dash lowered his voice. He didn't know if he should ask Danny about what he just saw. He could see him flinch at the question as he raised his head from his hands.

"Uh… I don't know…" Danny said gloomily as his voice trailed off. His eyes unfocused and lost their shine as he stared at the opposite locker wall. Dash scrunched his face in confusion, _how would you not know if you got shot?_

"Fenton, don't play with me." He said in a demanding tone.

"It-it all happened so fast."

"Care to explain?"

"No." Danny replied shortly.

"So… need a hand? I gotta get back to class." Dash decided not to pressure the boy further. Danny looked over to Dash and nodded, wiping his tears. Dash picked him up, placing his hands under his legs and back. He lowered the halfa onto his wheelchair slowly. Danny mumbled a thanks as Dash left him alone.

 _Did I really just see that? Is Fenton Phantom?_ He walked back to his own locker, grabbing his water bottle, and then jogged back to class.

"Baxter! What took so long. I specifically said only a minute." Ms. Tetslaff shouted over the running students. Dash replied with a 'sorry' and joined his jock friends as they ran around the gym.

He decided to not bully Fenton anymore.

He decided to keep it a secret.


End file.
